PARIS, Aug 8, 2003/ FW/ --- August is a month when the quality of life in Paris normally improves - thanks to the fact that most Parisians depart on vacation. But this year, just as the hordes were heading south, a massive dome of hot air ground north out of Africa. The Saharan heat first overtook the Iberian Peninsula, before coming to rest squarely over the French capital.

The result: Paris reached 104° Fahrenheit on Wednesday afternoon, the hottest temperature ever recorded in August, in the warmest summer on the books. With the stifling heat has come choking pollution and daily ozone alerts. On Wednesday, the air quality was rated as "hazardous" for the 38th time in 2003.

The plight has certainly caught the attention of leftist Mayor Bertrand Delanoë.

"Now more than ever, this situation makes the municipality of Paris more in favor of development of collective modes of transportation (bus lanes, tramways, bike routes)," he said in a communiqué issued from City Hall. Inviting Parisians "to take advantage of mass transportation, and drivers to scrupulously respect the reduced speed limits currently in force", he took aim at the center right government (most of which is on vacation in the South Pacific). The mayor has previously criticized authorities for their lack of seriousness in enforcing clean air standards, as well as their failure to introduce legislation aimed at curbing automobile emissions.

One of M. Delanoë's pet projects has been the installation of "Paris Plage" along the banks of the Seine, where the river meanders through the heart of the city. Sand has been spread, palm trees have been erected, and beach chairs have been planted for those hearty souls willing to brave the heat to pretend they have been magically transported to the Mediterranean coast.

Yesterday, a motley crew of bronzed men in bikinis was taking advantage of the riverside retreat, though otherwise, rows of chaise longues remained empty.

While technical data can accurately describe the adverse meteorological conditions, measuring the human toll of a brutal heat wave is more difficult. Tourists, office workers and civil servants seem dazed as they wander about quietly on the hot streets looking for shade.

At the city's legendary sidewalk cafés, waiters have been seen scurrying with bottles of chilled wine, while diners breath in the traffic fumes looking mildly disoriented.

At the central police station, one agent, who was processing residence permits in an office without air conditioning, was attired in a striped shirt with a blue tie embossed with a crest. "This is global warming," he said. "It was never like this before. Never. It has to be all the green house gases and automobile fumes. What we need is a nice rainy day!"

That idea may remain a distant dream, as forecasters see no end of the heat in sight, and with Thursday's mercury predicted to top out at 107°.

The happiest person in town must surely be the clerk behind the counter of the Picard frozen food store on Rue de Grenelle. Occupying the only cool spot to be found in the 7th Arrondissement, he is immaculately dressed in a crispy starched shirt. From morning to night, he snaps a familiar mantra to a steady stream of melting customers. "We don't sell ice. We never have, and we never will. It just isn't done."

Well, Paris will always be Paris.